US inflation rises above expectations in December

US inflation increased more than expected in December which could delay the Federal Reserve’s strongly anticipated interest rate cut in March.

The consumer price index rose 0.3% last month after ticking up 0.1% in November and above consensus for 0.2% rise, with high rents being the biggest contributor to the increase in the CPI in December.

Annualized CPI figure showed increase of 3.4% in December after 3.1% rise in November, beating forecast at 3.2%

Since the annual increase in consumer prices has cooled from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022 to 3.0% rise last June, further progress towards lower consumer inflation has been limited by persistently high rents.

So-called core CPI, which excludes the volatile food and energy components, rose 0.3% last month after increasing 0.3%, unchanged from November, while annualized core CPI increased by 3.9% in December after rising 4.0% in November and overshot consensus at 3.8%.

Despite consumer prices remain elevated, conditions improved significantly through much of 2023, with the personal consumption expenditures price index, Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, registering its first monthly drop in more than 3 ½ years in November.

The latest data contribute to the expectations of some economists that the Fed may start cutting interest rates in May or June, against prevailing expectations that policy tightening may start as early as March, as the labor market remains resilient and keeping wage growth elevated.